Hell of a New Year coming?

On friday Oct 17, I went into Manhattan with my brother Marc ( he was along for the support ) to audition for Hell's Kitchen Tv Series. It all started with my cousin Jill emailing me a link for applying for the show. That was a week or so before I went to Texas. While I was in Texas I received a call from the Casting Director for the show. I was a bit hesitant about the validity of the call, but was soon convinced it was for real. I happened to be sitting with my niece Cassie and SIL Angie. I had to leave the room so I could curse!! It was basically a phone personality audition and after 20 minutes or so, they wanted to sign me up for the on camera audition. I was still in a state of shock but very excited. Cassie wants me to be famous so I can make her famous. ( still trying to figure that one out ). I asked my brother Marc to trek into the city with me for some moral support. He is and has been my biggest fan since I was in Culinary school. I knew he would help me emotionally get thru it all. Upon arriving for the audition, I met with Debbie ( twin sister of Lisa who I had spoken to on the phone ) and Sean who was the computer camera man. I felt immediately at ease with them and laughed while Debbie briefed me for the taping and even questioned my brother. Now it was time to go on camera. Funny thing was I thought I would be really nervous, but I wasnt. I put on my chefs whites and was hooked up to a mic. I was given instruction to be thorough in my answers to the questions Debbie would ask me. Give specifics not just answer yes or no. I did a brief introduction about growing up, working in the dental field for 20 yrs, and going to culinary school. I was smiling and laughing all the way. Having a blast, although some of the questions were interesting. Like, Have I ever had sex in the kitchen? Do I have any tattoos or peircings? How would I react if Gordon Ramsey calls me a fat cow on national tv? Why would America love to hate me? Will I be underestimated by the other contestants? Then finally when I thought she was going to ask me what my family would say IF I WON, she actually hesitated and asked me what would my father say if I won? She knew my dad had died when I was a teenager and wanted my reaction on camera. I immediately welled up, and couldnt speak. Finally got out of my mouth that she blew me away with that question, and I knew he would be extremely proud of me. Crying like a baby now, with Sean handing me tissues, I remembered I was on camera being taped. So I started laughing. When the tape was turned off, she said she knew how I would respond since she had lost her dad early in her life too. She wanted everyone who would watch the tape to see that side of me. Taping was done and my microphone was being removed, I realized I was wearing my chain with my dads shield on it. MY dad was with me for all of it. I had forgotten I put it on, since I hadnt worn it since before the summer. When I said OMG look what I am wearing she put me back on tape to say it. Lisa went out to the other room where Marc was and spoke to him, telling him she made me cry. LOL Sean was finishing up with the computer and said to me " YOU were fabulous, I think you made the show!!" I couldnt stop smiling and thanked him profusely. Kisses and hugs goodbye all around, Marc and I went outside. I needed a drink, but settled for a cigarette. I turned to Marc and said- OMG what have I just done? laughing and smiling. I felt so good, so confident and so happy that I did this. I kept saying to Marc, I really do have a great personality, his only response was, well not THAT great!! He had turned me into a monster!! Built me up the whole way there and kickin me back down. Thats what brothers are for I guess! Marc asked me when I would be hearing from them, I forgot to ask. I was sooo excited I completely forgot. I emailed them over the weekend, to thank them all and tell them I had such a great time doing this, and asked maybe when I could expect to hear something. I got a response yesterday and Lisa said probably a couple of weeks. So keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer!! The show starts taping in January of 2009. I am doing my Gordon Ramsey research just in case. Reading about his life, personal and culinary, and going to start practicing some foods I know Chef Ramsey expects to be prepared properly. Anyone want some Wellington??

Back to the grind

Summer is officially over for me. Upon my return from vacationing in Texas, I have given in. The leaves are changing , the weather is getting cooler and summer clothes are being packed up for the season. Back to the grind as they say. I decided to go to Rowlett and visit my brother Scott and his family after my summer on FI. What would have normally been only a weeks vacation turned into 12 days. My brother and his wife were going to go to Vegas for a short presentation and a little R & R. Of course jokingly Scott asked me if I wanted to stay longer and watch the kids while he and Angie were away. I jumped at the proposition. Alone for 2 nites with my neices and nephews, how cool is that? Since I really have already done the tourist thing my first visit to Texas, this was just a relaxing visit with family. Scott had to be in NC for the first few days of my visit, so I got Angie n the kids to myself. Upon Scotts arrival home, Angie had already planned a getaway with some gf's, I got to visit with my brother and neice alone. We ate some of the Halibut Scott caught in Alaska, had some Pizza with Justin ( he works for Pizza Hut ), spent saturday running around watching Dylan play baseball, and Cassie cheerleading at the football game. Church and then some Pappadeux's cajun food. YUMMY!! Sunday we took out small loans as Scott puts it and he, Cassie and I went to the State Fair. Texans like to FRY everything. From bacon to pickles. I have to say the Fried Smore's were the most outrageous n delicious dessert ever!! We rode some rides ( the Crazy Mouse...omg it was so awesome ) , played some games and were totally spent. ( financially and physically ). Everyone was home sunday nite and we hung out. Then mom and dad left and it was us kids. We sugarred up, ate fast food, stayed up late and had some fun. Scott and Angie returned from a great time in Vegas to find everything still intact. I have been told I am welcome to babysit anytime!! I cant wait. We cooked, we ate, we hung out. I had a blast. Hope they all did too. Cant wait to go back. Thank you Scott, Angie, Justin, Dylan, Marissa, Cassie, Tipsy and Mr Higgins for a great 12 days.

I even thought about staying longer since I am not working at this time, but while I was in Texas

I received a call from the casting director of Hell's Kitchen. I have an audition on Friday Oct 17. HAHAHAH who would have thought? Cassie is hoping that I win the show and the restaurant I get to run is located in Dallas. HMMM that would be interesting!! So now I am home, did my fall cleaning, filling out online job applications, sending out resumes, and thinking about when I want to go back to Texas. Until next time, Happy Autumn !!

Wake me up when September ends....

Summer has come and passed....the tired has barely last, Wake me up when Sept ends. My summer on FI has ended. Whoohooo. All good things must come to an end at some point right? It was time. I made it thru Labor Day weekend and man were we slammed hard. Tumbleweed tuesday is the day after Laborday as the town becomes a ghost town. I was sick in bed for those 2 days off and slept away most of it. 4 months working and living on FI was everything, nothing and more than I thought it would be. I learned so very much both culinary wise and personally. I gained invaluable experience working in a restaurant and under another Chef. The ALA CARTE experience was amazing, even though it was backbreaking and exhausting. I know now that the past few years I was right in saying I never wanted to work in a restaurant setting. I DON'T. EVER! ( ok maybe not ever- if I owned it I might just be open to it ) LOL. I also learned I dont like living with approximately 10 college kids sharing a bathroom either. I felt like a house mother in a coed frat house. Although I did learn to back off ( I was not their mom ) it was an experience I dont think I want to experience again. That was the worst of it. The best parts were, I had alot of fun working with Chef Bobby, I met some awesome people, I had the beach and the bay steps away from me on a daily basis, and people most important to me came out to visit me. I read about 30 books ( I wasnt into the socializing after work- it was more like Spring break week at nite ) so I would retire up to my room, shower n camp out in my little bedroom and read. Thanks to my brother Marc, who brought me some incredible books ( mostly about chefs ) and some goodfriends who sent me or lent me some good reading, I was never really bored. I got home 2 weeks ago, and think I have finally unpacked and feel comfortable sleeping in my own bed again. Although my suitcase is still in my room as I am getting ready for 12 days in Dallas visiting my brother and his family. I am sooo excited about it, that I cant wait. Then I will have to come home and back to reality and look for a new job. Not quite sure what I want yet, I would love another small catering hall, I have a new outlook, new menu ideas and a desire to be different.....but I am also thinking about maybe something corporate. Weekdays, reasonable hours, benefits....the stuff we need. Guess I will see what happens when I get home from Texas. In the mean time, my dear cuz-in-law ( CIL ) Jill sent me the email addy for the application for Hells Kitchen. HAHAHA funny thing is that I actually filled it out and sent it in. I must be crazy. I have finished my Christmas shopping since I have returned home, and it actually feels really good. I know you all think I am nuts since I was asking you all about our secret santa thing in august, but as they say i culinary school......its 99% prep....Tommorow I turn 47!! Not really a milestone but pretty unbelievable nonetheless. Where has the time gone. I know those of you older than me ( not too many of ya ) are laughing as you read this, but guys...its gonna come fast. So technically all ya'all are right behind me. ( is that the correct usage of all ya'all ?) But I think the very best thing this week of all is that I went to buy a pair of jeans to bring to Texas since the ones I have were very big on me, and what do I find, but i went down 2 sizes since april. WHOHOOO..... guess all that hard work and eating good fresh fish all summer paid off. Life is good. Life is short, take time to be with those you love, tell them you love them, and laugh ALOT!! Thanks to those of you who came out to visit me this summer. I loved having you come!! xox

The Sofa King Invasion of Ocean Beach

The Lessard's came to Ocean Beach!! On tuesday, almost all of my family trekked out to Ocean Beach. Scoot, Ama, Cassie, JP and Jill, Nat and CC, Amanda and Jeanine all ferried over to see me and spend the day. We walked th 2 1/2 blocks to the beach, fortunately it was low tide and set up the chairs, blanket, umbrellas and paraphenalia. The kids immediately ran to the water. Jellyfish and sealice were also visiting Ocean Beach so we kept rinsing off alot. The kids got hungry so Scoot and I took them up to the Sandbar where I work for some kids meals. Pizza, hotdogs, chicken fingers and a couple of Rocket Fuels later we were off back to the beach. Jeanine had to leave early for work, so I set her up with a Rocket Fuel and said goodbye. When the adults got hungry, we packed up our gear and headed back to the Sandbar for sofa king good food and drink. Everyone ate and drank and had some laughs. I just want to thank my family for loading up and coming out to see me. I miss them all alot this summer and it meant alot to me. To those of you who couldnt make it out here - you were missed. We had a great day !! Sofa King great day!!!

T'was the Summer before Christmas

They told me the summer would pass in the blink of an eye. It must have since Santa was here on Fire Island last weekend. The restaurant was packed, band was playing and it was standing room only. When all of a sudden, I heard bells. In walked about 15 people ( maybe elves ) with Christmas Hawaiian shirts on and Santa hats. Then all of a sudden I heard the infamous.. HO HO HO, and what to my eyes did suddenly appear? Santa ! Hawaiian shirt, cutoff red velvet pants, suspenders, flip flops and a straw cowboy hat. Here he was, in Ocean Beach on Fire Island. His red bike and wagon were parked outside as he was handing out candy canes to the tourists and townies. The band started playing Christmas carols and Santa joined them on stage. I had to run out of the kitchen to be a part of it. Fortunately being THE CHEF here, I was able to get a picture of me and Santa. I was so giddy with holiday spirit ( exhaustion most likely the culprit ) that I couldnt get back into the kitchen. Orders had to wait, Santa was HERE!! I think I may be using the pic as my Christmas card this year. Now to top this all off, this weekend, we had a craft fair here in town in the square. Well after last weekend with Santa, what else could I possibly do? I pretty much finished my Christmas shopping!!! How cool is that? So I guess anyone reading this will know, your gifts will be from Fire Island this year....LOL.

Believe it or Not?

Well another weekend has past, I cant believe I am here on Fire Island 13 weeks already. They told me it would fly by. They were right. Yesterday was my day off, and my brother Marc trekked over to visit me and spend the day. It was raining on the mainland and he was already not in a good mood coming over by ferry. It had rained briefly here and the sky was clearing up. I gave him a tour of Ocean Beach (quite a small town although the largest community on FI ). We started the day having lunch at the Island Mermaid. The same place I took my mom to. Food was fabulous as always and we enjoyed sitting by the bay. Since Marc is continuing to lose weight, we decided to take a walk over a couple of towns. Not much to see or do there but the homes are lovely to look at and the bay breeze is a pleasure. We came back and changed, I into my bathing suit and Marc into a new pair of shorts and flipflops. Believe it or not!! We headed for the beach. The water was beautiful and a tad cold, but again we took a long walk along the water and enjoyed the peacefulness and beauty. Funny though, I havent seen my brother on a beach in yrs, and he admits he hasnt done this in many. I told him about all the deer on the island and fortunately we got to see a few. First time for me seeing an antlered buck!! ON the beach!! very cool. We headed back to my restaurant, and decided to have some food. Chef Bobby was in the kitchen and Marc was in heaven. He started with the Tuna Tataki. #1 Ahi tuna, seared and sliced served with a ponzu soy sauce. It melted in his mouth he said. Then he opted for the Mahi Mahi sandwich served with Mango salsa, I had my favorite Maple rum glazed Salmon on spinach greens. He was thoroughly impressed and full. We took a walk around town, did some shopping and stopped at the little candy store for some treats. Key Lime pie fudge was the special of the day. YUMMY!! Packed up and headed for the ferry, the day was great and I cant wait for more of you to come see me and my little summer home!!

And the RocketFuels red glare......

I survived 4th of July weekend here on Fire Island. Everyone was warning me how busy we would be, I believe to encourage me both mentally and physically. The weather was great, people were arriving by the boat load, and we were prepped to the max. The town has a parade every year and the floats are made up by the community from their wagons. The kids had a ball, the adults drank alot of Rocket fuels ( the island drink of choice ) and I cooked my butt off. I am now officially an ala carte Chef. One of the reasons I took this job was to gain that experience in my culinary career. Not to sure if I want to pursue it further than this summer but I am loving the experience. By sunday nite I was completely and utterly exhausted. I couldnt wait for my day off on tuesday. My mom came out to FI with her husband and spent monday after the holiday weekend here. She spent a few hours on the beach and then came to my restaurant for lunch. I dont let my mom look at the menu and she allows me to order and cook for her. She started off with my Stuffed Fried artichokes with Roasted garlic tomato aioli. Then I prepared her a Mahi Mahi sandwich, with mango salsa on a rustica roll. I also sent out a Rum Maple glazed Salmon on spinach salad. She was impressed !! LOL She stayed at a cute little B & B so we could spend my day off together. I have vowed my days off will NOT be spent here at my restaurant at all. We spent the day at the beach, came back n changed, walked around town shopping in the little family run stores ( Angie would love it here ) and then went to an early supper at The Island Mermaid restaurant on the bay. Overlooking the water, we ordered Pomegranite Margaritas and ate the best Fried Calamari I have ever had. Lobster rolls as the entree oh sooo yummy. Now understand being a Chef here in town in one of the 9 restaurants we have, we pretty much all know each other. I seem to be treated especially well when I go out. Service and Food were both amazing, and for some reason people ( in this case my mom ) seem to be impressed with the special treatment I do get. Needless to say, my mom is proud of me. In all honesty, I am too!! I cant wait for the rest of you hop on the ferry and come see my little summer home.